Time to Buy a Color TV Has Not Yet Arrived

[Unimatic1140]

A friend recently gave me the January '55 Issue of Consumer Reports. In it is a short write-up on the Motorola 19CT1. I thought you guys might enjoy reading it.

Obviously by now they have corrected all the "flaws" at the color transmitter, so would the 19CT1 perform much better today than it did in 1955?

[Rob]

Those early model color sets ought to have come down in price now ya think? I'll bet most folks want the newer models. Maybe time to buy that 19" Motorola, or an RCA CT-100. Smaller 15" screen ought to go cheap.

The Consumer Reports article was quite fascinating to read, since I happen to spend about a half hour a week watching my 19CT1 (not just admiring it, but viewing real TV). Having now spent several months of quality time with this set, here are some observations. I should warn you I'm a bit spoiled since mine has the 21" picture tube enhancement.


1. I agree 100% with Consumer Reports about the lack of sharpness in the picture. It's not too bad, and the set certainly does well enough to be quite watchable. However, you definitely wouldn't confuse the picture sharpness with today's TVs.

2. There is some inconsistency in color across the screen, though not nearly as bad as what Consumer Reports complains about. I think a lot of the problems they report were due to problems in the color transmissions of the day. With a modern signal, the set displays very vivid colors, at times almost pastel like in quality. Again, you wouldn't confuse it with a modern set, but I've been pleasantly surprised at the picture quality.

3. One problem this set has that Consumer Reports reported is for the colors to flash across the screen under certain conditions. It's almost like a "barbar pole" at its worst. It doesn't appear to be a failed part, but just a product of how the electronics work. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time.

4. The other problem is the need to "touch up" the color settings periodically. Unlike a modern set, each time I turn the 19CT1 on, I get a slightly different picture, ranging from vivid true color to almost a black & white picture. A quick twist of the color shading and color intensity controls takes care of it, but definitely not a set it and forget it proposition.



Overall, the set performs well enough I could use it on a regular basis. I have to restrain myself from running it more often, and frequently find myself wishing service parts were easier to come by so I could feel better about playing it more often.

I've attached a sample picture (from the Simpsons) so you can judge for yourself. I should warn you that I've found it devilishly difficult to get a shot with the digital camera that does the picture justice. It's actually much better than the camera can capture, but you can at least see how good the color image is.

Let me try posting that picture again...

[rcaman]

looks to me like you have a focus problem.

[Steve D.]

Joe,
I dont think that's the picture you want as an example of your set's performance. I had one of those 19" Moto's some years ago. With the 19" tube. It had, I recall, a pretty sharp picture. I do agree the color was somewhat pastel. Motorola did promote that model with some nice full color magazine ads.

As I put in the disclaimer, the actual picture is better than what the camera shows. It may be my particular make of digital camera, but I've yet to get a picture that comes out right. The set is fine, it's just the cameraman.

That's why I put in the warning that the picture won't look perfect, but does accurately capture the range of colors the set displays. The TV picture is fine, it's the picture I took with the camera that looks fuzzy.



Joe